Javon Mascellus Bullard (born September 5, 2002) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

safety for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

High school career

Bullard attended Baldwin High School in

Milledgeville, Georgia Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon and bordered on the east by the Oconee River. The rapid current of the river here made this an attractive location to buil ...

. A three-star recruit, Bullard committed to play

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

over offers from

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

College career

As a true freshman in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, Bullard appeared in 14 games. Against

Charleston Southern Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a private Baptist university in North Charleston, South Carolina. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention ( Southern Baptist Convention). History Charleston Southern University was ch ...

, Bullard led Georgia in total tackles with six. He finished the season with 12 total tackles. The following season, Bullard started in the first two games, recording four tackles and one pass breakup. On September 26, 2022, Bullard was arrested on

DUI Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

charges. He would be suspended for one game before returning against

. Bullard would tally a career-high eight tackles in a victory over

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Against undefeated

, Bullard tallied seven tackles and two sacks in a 27–13 win. The following week, Bullard exited the game with a lower-leg injury, but he returned for the next game against

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. In the

Peach Bowl The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. Since 1997, it has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was officially re ...

, Bullard had a hit on

Marvin Harrison Jr. Marvin Darnell Harrison Jr. (born August 11, 2002) is an American football wide receiver. He played college football at Ohio State Buckeyes football, Ohio State; he was recognized as a two-time unanimous All-American and winner of the 2023 Fr ...

that knocked Harrison out of the game with a concussion. Georgia went on to win the game 42–41, with Bullard being named the game's defensive MVP. During the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Bullard recorded two interceptions and a fumble recovery before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. He was named the game's defensive MVP. During the

2023 season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, Bullard recorded 55 tackles, a tackle for loss, and two interceptions before declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft on December 31, 2023.

References

External links

Georgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullard, Javon 2002 births Living people American football defensive backs Georgia Bulldogs football players Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Sportspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Milledgeville, Georgia